Michael Hussey, the batting coach of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), believes that the team’s new acquisition, Sameer Rizvi, has the potential to fill the void left by Ambati Rayudu. With the IPL 2024 season just around the corner, Hussey shared his insights ahead of CSK’s opening match against Royal Challengers Bangalore on March 22 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
During the IPL 2024 mini-auction in Dubai last December, CSK secured Rizvi for a significant sum of INR 8.4 crore. The 20-year-old left a mark in the UPT20 league last year, showcasing his talent by amassing 455 runs in 10 matches at an impressive average of over 50, including two centuries and a half-century.
Michael Hussey expressed confidence in Rizvi’s abilities, stating that while he may not replicate Rayudu’s experience immediately, the young cricketer possesses the natural talent that CSK aims to nurture.
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“Most definitely. I think he can definitely play that role. I mean Ambati Rayudu is someone that has so much experience and he’s played for so long. So, he’s a seasoned campaigner, whereas Rizvi is just starting out in his IPL career,” Michael Hussey remarked during the inauguration of the Pavit Singh Nayar Memorial inter-college T20 tournament at Guru Nanak College in Chennai.
Hussey emphasized the importance of developing Rizvi’s skills, given his promising potential. He anticipated that Rizvi would bat in the middle-order and described him as a “very talented young prospect.” Michael Hussey expressed his eagerness to work closely with Rizvi to improve his game not only for the upcoming IPL season but also for the years ahead.
“I think he’ll bat somewhere in the middle order. He’s obviously a natural striker of the ball. I only saw him for the first time yesterday. He looks a very talented young prospect. So, I’m looking forward to working with him personally and just helping him improve his game, obviously for this tournament, but also for the years moving forward. We want him to do well in this IPL, but there’s much more years left in his career,” Michael Hussey concluded.
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CSK IPL 2024 full squad: MS Dhoni (c), Moeen Ali, Deepak Chahar, Devon Conway, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajay Mandal, Mukesh Choudhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Mitchell Santner, Simarjeet Singh, Nishant Sindhu, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Rachin Ravindra, Shardul Thakur, Daryl Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi, Mustafizur Rahman, Avanish Rao Aravelly
